Spread the Word: National Women and Girls HIV/AID Awareness Day

Did you know that today is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, otherwise known as "Rocking the Red Pump" day? Created by the Office of Women’s Health, March 10th of every year is a day to come together as women to encourage dialogue and educate women and girls about the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS epidemic on our lives.

Every 35 minutes, a woman tests positive for HIV in the United States. Though much progress has been made in the areas of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, women still represent 27 percent of all new AIDS diagnoses, with African-American women making up an overwhelming 66 percent of that number. In 2006, teen girls represented 39 percent of AIDS cases reported among 13–19 year-olds. Black teens represented 69 percent of cases reported among 13–19 year-olds; Latino teens represented 19 percent. These startling statistics are the driving force behind Red Pump's message.

Mom It Forward joins with over 1,200 other bloggers today to increase awareness of the fact that HIV/AIDS is still a preventable disease. Organizers of the Red Pump Day encourage women and girls to wear red pumps (or flats) to show support. There will also be various official Red Pump events around the country. Please read more about them on this events page. They hosted a Twitter Townhall today from 1:30-3:00pm CST. They ask you to follow them on Twitter (@RedPumpProj), for more information. Today, they are tracking the use of the hashtags #RocktheRedPump and #NWGHAAD on their website.

More importantly, they ask that you take the time to ask a friend and/or family member when is the last time that they've been tested. Knowing your status is such an important step in the fight against HIV/AIDS. For a list of HIV testing sites, you can visit hivtest.org.

If you do nothing else, take a minute to educate yourself on HIV/AIDS from this page on the CDC's site, so that you can do your part to prevent HIV/AIDS from spreading. Let's all work together to help increase the awareness and spread the word by rocking red pumps today and using the #RocktheRedPump and #NWGHAAD hashtags!